Can I claim Google Ads if my website earns affiliate income?

Yes, you can use Google Ads to promote a website that earns affiliate income, but Google enforces strict rules about the quality and purpose of your site.

The most important rule to understand is Google's Destination Requirements policy, which strictly prohibits "bridge pages" or "doorway pages."

Here is what you need to know to keep your account compliant:

• Provide Original Value: Your website cannot exist solely to route visitors to an affiliate link. You must provide significant original content, such as in-depth product reviews, proprietary comparison tools, or detailed educational articles.
• Avoid Bridge Pages: If a user clicks your ad, lands on your site, and finds that the only logical action is to click an affiliate link to buy a product on another domain, Google will flag your site as a bridge page. This leads to ad disapproval and potential account suspension.
• Watch Trademark Rules: Be careful when bidding on the trademarked names of the products you are promoting. Most affiliate programs prohibit you from bidding on their branded keywords, and Google Ads restricts the use of trademarked terms in ad copy unless you are explicitly authorized by the brand.
• Be Transparent: Clearly disclose your affiliate relationships on your site to comply with consumer protection regulations (such as FTC guidelines in the US).

If your website is a genuine content hub, blog, or detailed review platform that happens to monetize through affiliate links, you can use Google Ads. If it is simply a thin landing page designed to pass traffic to a merchant, it will not pass Google's review.